


Ancient Scourge

by Jinral



Category: Thief (Video Games)
Genre: Horror, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-08 23:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3226706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinral/pseuds/Jinral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years after the events with the primal things are starting to feel as they once were, only with less people and construction work throughout the city. Garrett himself has gotten back to his normal profession and finds himself on a job to steal a skull, and a future of trouble.</p><p>(Sorry, I'm kinda bad at writing summaries. You'll have to pardon me)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pilfer

**Author's Note:**

> I figured i'd give writing a somewhat long fic a try.  
> Looks like Garrett will get to have a back breaking adventure. We will see how this ends eventually.

The evening sun was shining just barely over the horizon. Garrett and Artemus found themselves on the edge of the forest that began right on the outskirts of the City. The trees were black as coal, the entire atmosphere thick and foreboding. Not a single light could be seen aside from a few fireflies that glittered in the distance.

_This could be either really interesting, or really bad. I’ll have to look at my map._

Garrett reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and a box of matches. He lit a match and held it over the map. The trail he needed was right in front of him, though small and easy to stray from. Getting lost in an unfamiliar place was not on his agenda. He closed his eyes for a moment, opening them again to see the trail light up before him.   
  
_This is smaller than the map shows. I don’t have a torch so this may go badly if I am not careful._

Garrett blew the match out. Taking a step forward he placed his hand on a tree, inspecting the bark. It was loose enough he could pull some off to leave as a marker for his way back.

_You will be fine if it’s just a little gone._

He pulled out one of his arrows and used it to chip away at the bark until the white surface of the tree was exposed.

_Interesting…._

Once the wood beneath was exposed he carved an extra set of slashes into the tree. He wanted to be as cautious as he could, since the job was in an unfamiliar place.

Artemus craned his neck to look out ahead of them. The fireflies flitting about the forest seemed to interest him. He opened his beak in excitement and wonder. One strayed close enough for the bird to quickly catch it in his beak, leaving it blinking furiously in fright. Artemus turned his head to Garrett as if to show him.

“I don’t think you will like that very much if you plan to ea— Artemus, no!”

Garrett spluttered as the bird tried to shove the firefly in his mouth while he was speaking. He pushed Artemus’ beak away and made him drop it.

“I’m not eating that.”

He shook his head and finally started to follow the trail, careful to stay far away from any other fireflies. He was in no way interested in eating bugs tonight, or in wasting any more time.

When Garrett had taken near twenty steps he turned back to see if he could still spot his scratch marks in the first tree. It was still visible. That was good.

He continued on the path, making sure to stop from time to time to scratch more markers into the trees. He was halfway to his destination when a foul smell filled the air and he caught sight of something in the distance. A dark figure stood on a large tree root, an animal skull attached to its head. Or was that its head?

Garrett ducked behind a tree and peeked out at the shape. It didn’t seem to have noticed him. He reached down and picked up a rock, and looked back at the figure before throwing it. It didn’t even budge. Garrett stepped out from his hiding place and crept up to the figure slowly.

_Trying to frighten off trespassers are we?_

Flies buzzed about the area as he climbed over the root and moved past the skull dummy, sparing only a glance at the construction. Large feathers protruded from the ribcage of an animal that Garrett couldn’t identify and it emitted the smell of a rotting carcass. Artemus seemed spooked by the monstrosity and refused to look away from it.

_That explains the bad smell. I wonder if this means i’m getting close._

Garrett pulled out the map again and lit a match, checking for any landmarks. He flinched at a sliding sound behind him. The skull on the dummy slipped off and thudded against the ground, causing Artemus to screech out in warning. Garrett spun around and backed away, the match flickering out. Was the dummy real? Or had the skull fallen on its own? He did not want to stick around to find out, and retreated far enough until it was no longer in sight.

When he felt it was safe enough, he lit another match and pulled the map out. Illustrations of large roots on the map showed him that he was nearly at his destination.   
  


_Robbing a witch of her prized possession. What would anyone want to do with a witch’s toys?_

 

Garrett blew the match out and stuffed the map back into his pocket before observing the area for any indication of a home. All he could see were giant tree roots and … were these small animal bones all over the ground?

_What?_

Garrett took a step back and heard a crunch. He looked down at his feet and realized that thousands of tiny bones were scattered around him.

_These weren’t here before were they?_

A chill ran up his spine. Garrett looked for somewhere to escape, Artemus getting ready to fly from his shoulder the second he moved.

_There!_

Artemus left his shoulder as he sprinted towards a crawl space under a root and hid himself beneath. It felt like there was something wrong, but nothing announced its presence. Garrett looked out from his hole expecting something to walk through the area. A crashing sound made him move back further into the crawl space. The ground shifted underneath him, giving way for him and the bird to slide down a wall of dirt, bone, and rock. They crashed into a room lit by dozens of candles.

Garrett shook off the dirt as he righted himself. He looked around. Candle wax and feathers lay everywhere on the desks and floor, assorted animal skeletons hung around the ceiling of the room.

_Looks like we have an animal lover. Dangerous if you are the animal._

He stood himself up and checked himself for any injuries. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, save for a few places that would most likely bruise later on. He knelt down to check Artemus for any injuries, but found the bird only plagued by dirt. All was good, it seemed. He looked up to observe the room once more.

_I need to find this skull and get out of here fast before i’m found intruding._

Garrett looked for any kind of chest or cabinet that might contain something, but saw only a large taxidermy buzzard standing on a post in the corner of the room, its gaze fixed on his spot. It almost looked alive. He crept to his right to see if it would follow, but the gaze remained fixed in place.

_This place is getting creepier by the second._

Just as he was about to give up, he discovered his prize. A large bird skull sat upon a table behind the stuffed vulture. He kept his eyes on the buzzard as he approached. It looked as if it would spring to life and attack any second. He grabbed the skull and stuffed it in his sack. Now he could leave. All of his senses were screaming at him to run when he saw a door at the top of a short flight of stairs. He wasted no time in bolting for it.

A light fog was just beginning to gather in the air. Still no signs of others around – that was good. Now he just needed to find the trail again, wherever it was. He looked around the dark roots. Spotting a gap between them, he took a step forward. A loud clacking sound behind him sent his heart pounding. Artemus chattered in displeasure from his shoulder. Alerted, Garrett looked back, but saw nothing. Something was playing mind games with him, making him feel the need to move faster.

Garrett made it through the gap and found himself immediately back on the trail again. Relief grew in him. Now he just needed to get back to the City and get rid of the skull. After a few feet, he found himself back to the area where the skull figure had stood, but something was wrong. The dummy was missing, along with the skull that had fallen, not much to the thiefs surprise. He moved off the trail and continued back toward the City, feeling eyes glaring at him from somewhere behind. But each time he stopped to look back, he saw nothing there.

≫-⧫—➢

Garrett sat up in his clock tower wrapped in his blanket with Artemus huddled up in his lap. Something had felt wrong ever since he went into the forest. He found himself hiding out for a few days once the job was completed and he had been paid. He had hoped waiting would banish the feeling, but he only felt worse. Artemus seemed to feel the same way – not even once did he leave Garrett’s side while they hid. It wasn’t out of fear, but of dread, and the constant feeling that someone was watching them. Everything just felt _wrong_.

 **  
**Unable to shake the feeling Garrett forced himself into his gear and climbed out the window, Artemus staying on his shoulder the entire climb down. Perhaps a few jobs would help ease his worries.


	2. Detection

Basso stood in front of his wall safe placing various items inside, from coins, to things brought in by other thieves for him to sell. He didn’t notice the extra presence in the room until he turned around to find Garrett leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Hoy! When the hell did you get here?!” he shouted, jumping back in shock.

Garrett remained silent as he leaned against the wall.

“Not even a hello? What, cat got your tongue today?” Basso closed the safe and looked closer at Garrett. It was hard to tell, but something was bothering the man.

“Won’t be the only one falling silent these past few days. Seems like everyone has been sensing some weird feeling they are being watched. People are getting scared the gloom is back or somethin’.”

Garrett turned his head to the side, not wanting to remember what happened nearly five years ago. “I’m looking to take a job.”

“Just straight to business today then? Alright, let me see what I got.” He walked over to his desk, producing two letters from a drawer. Garrett took them as he held them out.

“They may not be all that much to your interest, but it’s all I have for right now.” Basso closed the drawer and stretched his arms. “By the way, be careful today. I already said people are feeling odd out there.”

Garrett grabbed the letters and tried not to glance at him. He wasn’t the only one feeling off it seemed. That didn’t make him feel any better about the situation. He set the comment aside, peering over the letters. The idea of a boat didn’t sound appealing to him, but he decided to take one that involved a ship captain’s special cargo that he kept in his quarters.

Garrett tucked the letter for the boat in his pocket, dropping the other back on Basso’s desk. Basso cocked an eyebrow before looking down and grabbing the discarded letter, placing it back in his desk drawer. “And I thought you were done with boats after the last time. At least this is a ship instead of something small like mine. You should be fine.” He looked up, but the man was already gone. He gave an unsurprised sigh. “As usual.”

≫-⧫—➢

Garrett was halfway to the ship when he noticed the atmosphere had grown worse, like eyes were burning into the back of his head. He ducked behind a few crates. A shiver ran up his spine before he peeked out from around them. Nothing looked out of the usual, but he could still feel something watching him. It was like the forest all over again. Had something followed him into the city? Was he being hunted?

He looked into the window of an apartment and saw the silhouette standing behind the silk curtains. Chills shot through his body and he moved out from behind the crates to hide elsewhere. That was when he noticed the smell of rotting meat again. He spun around in horror as the skull dummy stood behind him, lifeless, but somehow more threatening than the last time he had seen it.

Artemus flailed his wings and bit Garrett’s ear to get him to move. Garrett waved his hand to make the bird calm down, but it only made the bird clamor more.

“Alright I am going. Stop!” He backed away from the figure and climbed onto a roof, stopping momentarily to grab a fire arrow and shoot it at the figure, but when he turned around to aim at it, the figure had disappeared once more, leaving only the smell of a corpse in its place.

_I’m not interested in playing hide and seek._

There was no way he was going to finish the job if something was following him the whole time. People were one thing, but monsters? He needed to think of what to do. He needed to get back home and grab some extra tools, just in case.

He traveled quickly along the thieves’ highway until he reached Riverside, the smell of rotting flesh following the whole way. Getting back to the clock tower with an unknown creature following him to his safe haven would be a mistake. He needed to find somewhere else to hide for a while until he could figure out how to get this thing off his trail. He knew of a few abandoned apartments in Old Quarter he could take refuge in, but were any of them safe? He had no idea what to do. He had dealt with strange creatures once before, but this one was completely new. What if it wasn’t actually there all along and he was just imagining it, even the smell? No. Artemus acknowledged the thing too. It was indeed real. It has to be …

Garrett shook his head. That wasn’t important right now. He needed to get somewhere he could hide until he saw it again. Setting one foot in front of the other he continued on his path to Old Quarter and one of the abandoned buildings. He climbed in through a window, a floorboard creaking under his weight as he landed. The room was small, filled with years of dust, most likely abandoned as the gloom ran its course. Garrett peeked back out of the window and realized that the smell of rot and death was no longer around. Had he gotten away? Or was it just trying to give him false hope? He backed away from the window, Artemus sitting on his shoulder on high alert.

Hours passed. Rain had begun to fall only a few minutes earlier when he left the corner of the room to look out the window. The rain was a lot heavier than the sound of it hitting the roof had suggested. Maybe now he could make it back to the clock tower under cover of the storm. It was worth a shot. Garrett climbed back out of the window and quickly made for the direction of Stonemarket, keeping his nose uncovered just in case the smell of death swept over him again.   
  


≫-⧫—➢

  
The rain only got heavier and Garrett kept close watch over his footing as he scaled the stone of the tower. He pulled himself through the window, soaked to the bone with water. His gear needed to be taken off quickly and dried before it hardened on him. He had taken two steps down the stairs when the putrid smell of corpses filled the clock tower. Garrett shielded his nose as Artemus thrashed furiously beside him. He looked over to his displays and saw the haunting white skull of the figure facing towards him. Not taking his eye away from the creature, he pulled an arrow from his quiver and strung it to his bow. The arrow whizzed through the air, knocking the figure to the ground. Garrett approached it cautiously.

It laid there lifeless and in pieces, feathers scattered across the floor. On closer inspection, Garrett noticed a long cloth cloak was tied to the ribs of the creature’s carcass. He readied another arrow and drew back the string, ready to spring to action as he tapped around at it with his foot. Artemus dragged pieces away from the monstrosity one by one until nothing but the cloak and ribs remained. Garrett looked up at his fire basket, thinking of burning all of it to pieces.

Artemus screeched and he snapped his attention back to the ribs. He jumped back, startled that the feathers had gathered in the center, rustling around. All at once they rushed him, knocking him to the ground. They slipped through his fingers as he grasped for them, trying to pull them away as they scratched him. A large slice to his forehead sent him rolling on his stomach, covering his eyes with his hands for fear of the feathers cutting him. This had to be a nightmare.

A gust of strong wind slammed into the side of the clock tower, causing it to creak loudly. Garrett felt the stabs and tugging stop. He didn’t dare look up to see if they were really gone until Artemus chattered in his ear. Not a single trace of the figure or the feathers remained. It had gone before he could burn it. Maybe that meant it was gone for good? _No … I doubt it is that simple._

Garrett sat himself up, his arms and legs trembling with shock. He calmed himself down, only to feel cold dread take the place of the terror. Something trickled down his cheek and he reached up to wipe away. He hissed as he found a long gash that stretched across his forehead and into his hairline. It needed to be cleaned quickly, before any kind of infection started. The feathers were soiled, sticky with old blood, fouled meat, and who knew what kind of diseases.

Standing himself up, he walked upstairs. He scooped fresh water out of a barrel using a metal bowl and brought it downstairs to fill his washbowl. He grabbed a clean rag, letting it soak before wiping the blood from his face.  

Once the bleeding had stopped Garrett sat on the edge of his bed to ponder what had happened. One minute he had knocked down a seemingly lifeless dummy, the next he was being attacked by disembodied feathers. This had to be a bizarre dream. If not, then what was going on? Had he been discovered somehow when he stole the skull from that witch?

The thought sent another shiver down his spine. What if she had been there the whole time and he’d had no idea? But if she knew he had been there then why send a skull dummy after him rather than come herself? Maybe the dummy was the witch.

Artemus cawed at him from the ground, snapping him out of his thoughts. The bird had grown up from being reliant on him, to thinking that Garrett needed him around. Hatchling had become caretaker and caretaker had become the hatchling. At least, that was how Artemus saw it. Garrett only saw him as a companion, or the ear-biting force-feeder.

**  
**Garrett took a deep breath and exhaled to help calm his mind. Artemus flapped up to the bed and stood beside him, making low skrr sounds, as he often did when he was concerned. Garrett caressed the bird’s head to show he was fine even if he didn’t feel that way. He couldn’t think of what to do about what had happened. He had no idea what was going on, but maybe there was someone who did. Maybe he should ask the one person that seemed to know most of what happened in the city – the Queen of Beggars.


	3. Curse

The next day Garrett wasn’t in his usual gear. He was in need of supplies so he could tend to his leather. He wore a black shirt, a simple vest, and a dark pair of trousers in place of it all. He didn’t need his harness for the job, which he planned on finishing for Basso before heading over to the chapel to visit the Queen of Beggars. It would be better to get it out of the way before possibly getting caught up in something else. Not only that, but the letter had also gotten drenched and was no longer readable. He wouldn’t be able to return it to Basso to give to someone else, not that he wanted to do that either. It might give Basso the impression that he couldn’t do the job since there was a boat involved.

Garrett peeked around a corner and spotted a man and a youth talking about cargo in a ship called the Lamplighter. He listened in. Artemus sat ready for a command on his shoulder in case he was needed to cause a distraction.

“Have the men checked all the crates and their contents before loading them on the ship?”

“Aye sir, all checks out. We should be ready to head back out to sea soon.”

“Good.” The man looked around suspiciously before quietly continuing. “Have you secured the extra package in the hidden quarters as the Captain ordered?”

“It’s been placed with the rest of the Captain’s valuables. He wanted them in the compartment near his cabin, correct?”

“Aye, good job lad. Now get going and tell the rest of the crew to be ready t’set off in a day.”

“Aye sir!”

The kid scampered off leaving the man by himself to guard the entrance to the ship. This shouldn’t be too bad. Bigger ships meant better footing than the tiny boat Basso had used to take him to Moira. He would only need to get past one man and perhaps a few others that might be hidden inside.

He reached for an abandoned bottle on a crate and threw it a good distance. It shattered against a wall, causing a loud enough clatter to make the man walk over to investigate.

“Who’s over here trying to give me a start? You want a sword in your gut, you bastard?”

Garrett slipped onto the ship behind the man’s back and hid behind a couple of barrels. He peeked out to spot the Captain’s quarters, or what looked to be. It dawned on him that he didn’t know that much about ships. He would have to guess and hope he was correct.

Moving quickly, without causing Artemus to lose his footing and fall, he moved to a door between two sets of stairs and peeked through the windows. This looked like it might be what he was looking for. He pulled the door handle gently and opened the door before peeking inside. His ears were greeted by the sound of loud snoring from the Captain sleeping deeply in his bed.

_Careful, you might alert the ship’s guard if you snore any louder._

He turned away from the sleeping man and looked around the room. It was nicely constructed with two long desks on opposite sides of the room, a third large desk in the center of the room. Beside the door was a bookshelf lined with expensive-looking books.

_This might have something interesting waiting for me._

He looked at the ground beside the shelf. Scratch marks.

_Let’s see what you have to hide._

He brushed his hand over the books before finding one that stood out from the others. He pulled it back before pushing it in, triggering a clicking sound. The bookshelf slid outwards.  Inside sat Garrett’s target and a few extra shiny pieces of loot. He took several of the items and placed them in his sack before grabbing the small crate. The man continued sleeping, undisturbed by Garrett closing the bookshelf back.

_I wonder how far out to sea you will get before you realize you are missing something._

Garrett gave a slight smirk as he left the Captain’s quarters, silently closing the door behind him. Now it was time to get back to Basso’s to finish the job. All he needed to do was sneak back past the man guarding the entrance to the ship. He peeked over the rail and saw the man looking around suspiciously.

_Throwing bottles isn’t going to work again. Let’s see if there is something else i can do._

Garrett looked over to Artemus and had him climb onto his hand before reaching into the pouch secured to his back. He pulled out a golden brooch and let the bird take it in his beak after removing the pouch.   

Artemus landed on the wooden planks in front of the guarding sailor, making good use of the light from the man’s torch to display his brooch. The man was instantly attracted to it.

“Hey, what ya got there, birdy? A new pretty for me to get some coin out of?”

He tiptoed towards Artemus trying not to startle him. Artemus dipped his head to taunt him. “just a little closer!” The man rushed forward, grabbing for the bird, only to miss and fall off the side of the pier. Garrett took the splashing sound as a success and quietly sprinted off the ship and towards the roof tops. Artemus joined him once he was safely on top with the crate under his arm. He could feel a slight headache starting up, probably due to lack of sleep after what had happened yesterday.

Garrett rubbed his head and continued on … The sooner he finished the job and got to the chapel the sooner he could get home and rest.

≫-⧫—➢

Garrett crouched down by Basso’s window, listening in to make sure he didn’t already have company. All was clear and he climbed in once Artemus had hopped off his shoulder. He was careful not to upset his headache which seemed to have grown worse by the hour. It made him debate whether he was going to keep to the plan of visiting the Queen of Beggars, or going home to, then visiting tomorrow.

Basso was sitting by his desk eating a meal, facing towards the window. He easily spotted the dark figure slip in.

“Ah ha, you didn’t get me today! So, did you get the, uh, crate was it?”

Garrett took care to hide the pain in his head as he placed the crate on the desk, followed by the sack of loot he had collected.

“What can I get for these?”

Basso looked over the crate and popped it open to view its contents. With a satisfied snort, he took the bag and emptied it. There were only a few small things: two necklaces, a goblet, and three identical rings.

“Let’s see here. I can give you about … forty gold for the two necklaces and five for the goblet. The rings I might have to do some research on first. Sound good?”

Garrett gave a slight nod and felt a small bolt of pain shoot through his head, causing him to flash a pained expression long enough for Basso to notice.

“Hey you alright, Garrett? You get hurt or something while on the job?”

“It’s just a headache. I’ll be fine.”

Basso gave him an unsure frown, but thought better than to bother the thief about it.

“Alright, stay right there and I’ll get you your coin.”

Basso walked over to his hidden wall safe and grabbed a bag of coins out of it. He poured them out in his hands, carefully counting out the amount he owed the thief.

“Alright, this should do. Here.”

He handed the pile of coins out to Garrett, who took them quickly and placed them in a pocket. He said nothing as he climbed back out of the window and turned his attention towards the chapel. His head hurt badly now, but he could still take some time to see if the Queen of Beggars knew anything. It was worth a shot at least. Artemus perched himself back on his shoulder as he set off, keeping to the shadows.

≫-⧫—➢

Garrett kept out of sight of any beggars that lurked in the open. Something about them made him want to stay unseen this time. When he arrived at the entrance of the chapel he didn’t notice many beggars sitting out front. That was a good thing, or so it seemed.

He pushed open the large doors of the chapel. His head throbbed from the slight effort. It had grown even worse, making his vision flicker in the light. Climbing the clock tower was not going to be pleasant when he returned home later, if he could even do that without the risk of falling. He was going to have to be quick with talking to the Queen of Beggars.

Garrett took a few steps in and found the woman sitting in in a chair at the back of the chapel. She instantly noticed his presence and set her tea cup down. The only beggar in her room came to her side and helped her to stand as she greeted Garrett.

“Have you come to donate this night, Garrett?”

Garrett stepped lightly on the stones, careful not to misstep and make his head pound more. The headache became excruciating and his whole body had begun throbbing.

“Something … happened yesterday.” He paused and gave a suspicious glare towards the beggar that sat beside the Queen of Beggars. He couldn’t shake the weird feeling he was getting from the beggars.

“I wanted to see if you knew anything about what attacked me,” he continued.

The Queen of Beggars hobbled over to a table with a couple of chairs around it. She was helped into one of the chairs by the beggar, after which she dismissed him.

“Come and sit. You are unwell, child.”

Garrett took a step back in objection, but was surprised when Artemus took the invitation and flew over to the table. The Queen of Beggars greeted him, running a thin finger down the feathers on his chest. He croaked in joy at her.

Garrett took a few steps forward to retrieve Artemus, but felt the whole world shifting around him as his headache sent him into a daze. He swayed, trying to keep his balance as he looked over to the beggar who stood at the side of the room. One second he looked like a normal man, but the next he was a dark figure shrouded in robes. Garrett’s eyes widened and tried to call out to Artemus, but only blurted out a slurred mumble of his name before he fell to the ground, trembling violently. Artemus cawed in worry and flew over to him.

Garrett tried to control his own limbs to push himself back up, but every slight movement sent a new level of pain shooting through his body. Nausea built up in his stomach and he released its contents onto the ground beside him, the motion sending him into even more pain.

“You have been cursed,” said the Queen of Beggars.

**  
**Garrett tried to respond but he felt his consciousness fade. Those became the last words he heard that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still just going to post chapters randomly. I swear i feel like there are things i should mention, but i can never remember them when i post things.


	4. Ailment

The smell of moisture was thick in the air as rain pelted the roof of the chapel. Garrett lay on a pile of hay underneath a long wooden table. A cloth draped over the top kept out any light from creeping through, which had only caused more pain for him when it shone in his eyes. Even loud sounds sent him into excruciating pain.

From time to time someone dressed in robes came to make him drink water. Garrett assumed that the robed stranger was supposed to be a beggar, but whatever plagued him was making him hallucinate … or was he seeing past an illusion? Had these robed men been here all along, disguised as beggars? Who were these people? And was the Queen of Beggars one of them?

Garrett only had questions for which he could not ask answers. Anything he did sent pain through his entire body, like bolts and daggers stabbing into every single one of his muscles and joints. He tried to sleep through it all, but could barely manage an hour’s rest from the city as it bustled with the sounds of people and animals. Artemus tried to help drown the sounds out by mimicking the clock tower gears, but it didn’t help near as much as Garrett would have liked.

_Too loud …_

He turned to his side and pulled the blanket over his head, wincing at the pain that blazed through his body. Artemus crawled onto his pillow and laid his head over Garrett’s ear, trying to block out the sound of voices and shouting or things crashing outside with the sound of his breathing. There was a tiny knock on the top of the table as someone set something down, sending a stream of dust fluttering down onto Artemus’ and Garrett’s heads. The bird lifted his head to shake it off, but instead gave a loud croaking sneeze that sent Garrett cringing.

The sheet was lifted up and a hand reached in to drag Artemus away from Garrett. The bird thrashed his wings furiously in protest at the robed man who tried to take him away from his thief. Garrett rolled over, reaching for the bird to get him away from the man, but only cried out from the pain of moving.

“Leave them.” The voice came from the Queen of Beggars.

The man released Artemus and stepped away from the table, saying nothing but nodding his head in obedience. She hobbled over to the table and reached a hand out to the edge to support herself as she lowered herself to her knees.

Artemus peeked out from beneath where he had hidden himself under Garrett’s blanket, keeping his attention on the robed figure that stood off to the side. The Queen of Beggars waved the man off, then reached up to grab a steaming bowl of soup.

“Child, you must eat.”

She reached down for Garrett and gently lifted his head onto her knee. Filling a spoon with the red liquid, she held it out in front of his mouth, waiting for him to open it. Garrett blinked dazedly at the spoon before turning his head away from it with an uninterested grimace.

“You needn’t worry of poppy milk. It will do nothing against a curse such as this.”

He still refused the soup, closing his eyes in rejection of her attempt to feed him.

“Do not think that I won’t force you, child. It’s been much too long since you have eaten.”

Garrett blinked his eyes open and tried to crawl away, but she stopped him and shoved the spoon in his mouth. He spat it out and tried to clench his jaw as she got another spoonful, but pain jolted through him from the effort. His jaw felt as if it had been broken. He was unprepared for the next spoon of soup as it was shoved in his mouth, and he couldn’t move his jaw enough to spit it out. Defeated, he swallowed the thick substance. Artemus remained unusually calm during the ordeal, not even budging to fight the Queen of Beggars as she force-fed Garrett.

She continued to feed him until the bowl was empty, then laid his head back down upon the pillow. She carefully pulled the blanket over his head and dropped the tablecloth back down to block out the light once more.

Artemus nuzzled up beside Garrett’s face as he curled himself up gently. Whatever this curse was, it was making his entire body feel broken and battered. How long was this going to last?

≫-⧫—➢

Five more days passed before the pain receded, until finally he was left only with sore and aching muscles, able to crawl out from under the table without passing out from the overwhelming pain. The lit candles and torches in the chapel no longer sent his head pounding from the light as he walked clumsily over to a chair to sit. Artemus wasn’t with him when he woke: he must have gone to find food for himself.

“Are you feeling better today, child?”  
  


Garrett glanced to his left and saw the Queen of Beggars approach, one of the robed men at her side. He narrowed his eyes in distrust and looked over to where Artemus perched casually on her shoulder. At the sight of Garrett, Artemus leapt off and flew towards him. He landed on Garrett’s knee and looked up at him. Garrett reached down to caress the bird’s chest feathers, not once taking his eyes off the Queen of Beggars or the man next to her.

“Who are you?” he questioned in a hoarse voice.

“That, is for another day. There are more important matters for you now, Garrett.”

Garrett clenched his jaw, but didn’t argue. He was no longer going to be able to trust passing beggars on the streets, even if not all of them were these robed men. The thought of not knowing which were normal and which were not unsettled him.

The man who stood beside the Queen of Beggars whispered something in her ear before departing, making no sound as he traversed the room. Garrett watched him leave before returning his attention to the Queen of Beggars.

“What do you suggest I do about this _curse_? What do you … know about it?”

“Your answer lies in what you took.”

He assumed she was talking about the skull he had stolen for that client. What was so important about it that could give him answers? He was going to have to retrieve it again and find out, but first he had one last thing to ask. “Is there any reason why I am fine now?”

The Queen of Beggars sat in a chair opposite of him before she answered. “This curse is brought forth through your greed. You are going to have to resist using your skills until things are solved, or you must be careful about it.”

Garrett blinked and looked down at his hands in disappointment … or was it disbelief? He rubbed his left hand over his right before he stood shakily and took a few paces towards the steps of the stairs.

_No stealing for a while, then…_

He felt unsure where to go. His body felt too weak for climbing up the clock tower. One tiring step after the other, he made it halfway up the chapel steps, but looked back as the Queen of Beggars spoke again.

“Be careful not to be fooled by the promise of wishes, Garrett.”

Garrett gave a cocky smile.

_I grant my own wishes._

**  
**With that, he left the chapel and turned towards the clock tower.


	5. Objective

Garrett sat drowsily, back in the abandoned apartment where he had hidden from the skull dummy, helping Artemus groom his feathers to pass the time. The sun just barely showed over the the roof tops. Nearly night time. Earlier he had attempted to get home, but his muscles still ached, preventing him from climbing even the stairs of the clock tower. It would take a day or two before he was finally able to make the climb. At least he could use some of this time to come up with a plan for what to do. First, he would have to find out where to find the client that had paid him to steal the skull. Next was to steal it back, but that would be risky. The pain had lasted for six days – would he be left in pain for six more days if he stole again? He was barely able to move once the curse hit him, there was no telling if it would last longer the next time. He would have to make preparations in the clock tower before he did anything.

_I’ll just have to make sure to get home fast enough before the pain hits._

Tomorrow he would have to make a trip to Basso’s and get more information on the client.

_Next time I steal from a witch I’ll make sure I won’t be spotted. As soon as I figure out how she caught me._

≫-⧫—➢

The next day finally arrived and rain poured heavily. Garrett’s muscles felt in better working condition, just enough that he thought he might be able to make it up the clock tower later. That is, if the rain stopped soon. Right now his only plan was to get to Basso’s and see if he could convince the man to give him information about the client without having to tell him anything about the curse. If that failed, he would sneak back in later and rummage through all his letters to see if he could find anything there.

He arrived at Basso’s window, soaked to the bone with rainwater and fighting the urge to shiver from the chill. It was good that he had managed to convince Artemus to stay behind at the clock tower. He wouldn’t be able to fly after all this rain. A clap of thunder snapped him back into reality and he pushed on the wooden shutter, but it didn’t budge.

_Is he gone or just tired of people not using the door?_

Garrett reached for the dagger he rarely used, sliding it between the crack in the shutters and gently upwards, releasing the latch and letting the window creak slightly open. He listened a moment for any footsteps or sounds of a person inside the room. Hearing nothing, he pushed gently on the shutters and peeked in. The room was dark and empty.

_Gone after all._

Hardly a sound was made as he slid in through the window and touched his feet to the dry cobblestones. He needed to be quick in finding anything that might help him track down the skull he had stolen, nearly two weeks ago. The last thing he needed was Basso asking him questions as to why he was looking through all his things. A quick glance through some of the papers on one of the shelves revealed nothing useful. He glided over to the desk and grabbed the handle of a drawer. Locked. There must be something in here.

He grabbed his lockpicks out from his sleeves and worked the lock until it clicked open. The drawer slid open smoothly. Inside lay two unopened letters, a few coins and a brass pen. The letters weren’t going to be helpful if they were new. Basso must have burned anything from the client once the job was complete. Garrett was right back at the beginning, with no leads. Resisting the urge to steal from his fence he closed the drawer and climbed back out through the window, careful to latch it back so as to not raise suspicion that someone had been there.

With no leads to the location of the skull, Garrett was left feeling disappointed and with only two options: confront the witch, or find some other way to lift the curse. Neither sounded easy, or smart, but there was nothing else he could do.

Back out in the rain and on a rooftop he stopped to look through the streets for any guards, his thoughts plagued by the Queen of Beggars’ words. He gave a disgruntled sigh.

_Your answer lies in what you took._

He had no more time to keep looking for any more leads tonight, so he turned his attention to the clock tower and headed home. If he was to have any chance of finding the skull he would need to take some time to think.

≫-⧫—➢

Artemus’ friendly caw greeted Garrett as he climbed in through the clock tower window. Artemus launched himself from the table he had perched on as he waited for his thief to return and sailed to Garrett’s feet. Garrett reached down for the bird and let him climb onto his hand before stepping downstairs to his bedding area. Artemus fluttered down onto the mattress while Garrett slipped out of his harness and removed the rest of his suit, leaving him in just a shirt and thin trousers. Not yet tired enough for sleep he decided to climb the stairs again and make a list of shops and collectors he would visit the next day.

He grabbed a blank piece of parchment and a pen and scribbled down three places that came to mind immediately. He rubbed his chin, wondering about a few other places. Judging by the amount he had been paid to acquire the skull, it would had to have been one of the more wealthy collectors or shop owners. He managed to write down two in Auldale and another two in Dayport before no more came to mind. Tomorrow, if he made it back early enough, he could stop by and ask Basso, or one of the other fences, of any places he could look through if the ones from his list didn’t have the skull.

≫-⧫—➢

“Trying to find me, land feet?”

Garrett came out of sleep surprised and alert. He tried to open his eyes and look around for the guttural sounding voice that had appeared from thin air, but his body wouldn’t move. Was he still asleep, somehow?

“I know that witchy lady placed a curse on you. Not much can enter her place without her finding out. It would have been wise to avoid being seen by the land picker in her home. You remember the large bird, yes?”

_Land picker?_

Garretts remembered the vulture he had thought was dead. It had stared straight into his eyes when he discovered it was real. He had blundered, thinking nothing of it and taking the skull. A pang of shame sprouted in his chest. The voice gave a haunting laugh and continued.

“Land feet, if you wish to find me to lift your curse, then see what I saw as I was carried in the arms of another land foot.”

Visions filled Garrett’s head of the sky and buildings on every side of him. Some kind of force moved him and he realized he was held in someone’s arms, carried into the basement of a wealthy mans home. He took a few more seconds to look around the other buildings and realized he was in Dayport. He looked closer at a street sign and just barely made out the words “ _Burlinton Avenue_ ” before the basement doors closed in front of him and the vision faded.

“See all you needed, land feet? If you wish to return me then come quickly, before they move me once again.”

Whatever power had rendered him immobile released him. Garrett sprang up gasping for air and shaking, startling Artemus who had been asleep by his chin. He breathed in deeply and exhaled to calm himself down and looked out the window. The sun was blocked out by thick storm clouds, but the time showing on the the clock tower told him he had only been asleep a few hours. Before the memory could fade, Garrett quickly scribbled the name of the street sign down on his list of shops, scratching the others out. Once it was nightfall he could go out to retrieve the skull. He would need to get back home quickly. The curse had taken a few hours to affect him the last time, but there was no telling if it would wait so long this time. He didn’t want to risk getting caught blackhanding and unable to escape, he had no other choice if he was to get the curse lifted. He would have to find a few safe places to hide before stealing the skull, in case he couldn’t make it back home in time. The thought of being helpless out in the streets unsettled him.

Artemus cawed gently at him to get his attention. As he looked down at the bird an idea emerged. He had trained Artemus to fly to the Crippled Burrick to retrieve messages from Basso. Maybe if he really needed it, he could send Artemus to find help for him.

Garrett grabbed a few large scraps of paper and a piece of charcoal. Placing them inside the pouch he had made to fit Artemus’ harness, he buttoned it closed. Along the way he could draw a map of the places he could hide in. Then, if the curse struck him down, he could send Artemus out without having to write out where he was. He laid the pouch down on the table and looked back at Artemus, gently caressing the long feathers on his chest. “If I tell you to go to Basso’s tomorrow, will you?”

The bird blinked at him and opened his beak. “Good boy, Artemus.”

Garrett shot him a surprised look. “First the clock tower, next you are mimicking me. Is there anything else you can say?”

Artemus nudged Garrett’s hand to get him to keep petting him. “Good boy.”

**  
**Garrett smiled lightly at the bird and ran two fingers over the feathered head. “Yes. Good boy, Ugly.”


	6. Rescue

Garrett crouched down by the back door of the house he had seen in the vision. Artemus sat perched on his shoulder, alert and watching for any human presence that might come close enough to spot them. Garrett took a few minutes to sketch out a map of all the alleyways where he hide, in case he needed Basso to come and find him. The closest hiding place was only fifteen minutes away from the house, in case the curse took him faster than he expected.

Finishing up, he placed the paper back inside Artemus’ pouch and reached for the back door handle. It was locked, but Garrett quickly worked it open and crept inside. The room was dark but a dim glow could barely be seen through another doorway. He slunk to the door and peeked through the keyhole and saw a very thin man sleeping in a chair. Looking closer, Garrett spotted a key ring hanging off the man’s belt. He gently opened the door. Cautiously approaching the unaware sleeper, he lifted the keys away. Backing up into a hallway, Garrett went for the first door he came across and tested the lock. It was locked and Garrett shifted through the keys, trying to find one that fit. Just as he was getting low on keys to try the familiar gruff and monotonous voice returned.

“Find me on the second floor, land feet. The ground has scratching to give the trick of a foul beast.”

“Why are you helping me?” he whispered under his breath as he ascended the stairs to find the door the voice had mentioned. One by one he worked quickly through the keys until he found the right one. He unlocked it, stepping inside. The first thing he saw was the skull sitting in a large glass display. Artemus lowered his head and croaked threateningly at it.

“You point your anger at the wrong one, small land picker.”

Its empty eye sockets filled with light as it spoke each word, and Garrett felt his curiosity building. “So, why are you so eager to help me return you to that witch?”

“I do not seek to be returned. I have a different goal in mind. But now is not the time to be discussing this, land feet. Take me and run before the curse grows stronger and the mere thought of greed sends you crumbling to the ground.”

Garrett scowled irritably as he approached the skull. “You can call me Garrett and him Artemus. “Land feet” and “land picker” is getting old.”

The skull’s eyes lit up once more. “You can know me by Aurion, Garrett.”

Garrett cautiously checked the glass display for traps but only found loose wires leading to a trap that had yet to be put together.

“Someone seems to be getting a little lazy about protecting their precious collection.”

He lifted the glass door in the back of the display. Lifting the skull, he wrapped it carefully in cloth. He didn’t know much about the world outside of the city, but whatever bird Aurion had been had to be very large. Fitting him in his sack was a tight squeeze. Something rattled around inside. Garrett assumed a piece had been accidentally broken by the witch.

“That witch must not have taken great care of you if she leaves broken pieces rattling around.”

“That would be my brain you are talking about. That stays! Don’t remove it, Garrett!”

Garrett looked down at his sack in amused surprise. “Your brain sounds like the size of a pebble.”

“Don’t insult me! You try being without living flesh for centuries without having a shrunken and dried organ!”

Garrett sighed. “Well, I guess it is true. You don’t use it, you lose it.”

“And what does that mean?!”

“Nothing, now be quiet. I need to get out of here quick. I can already feel my head hurting.”

Garrett gently stepped into the hallway and locked the door behind him before returning to the sleeping man downstairs. He replaced the keys on his belt and left by the back door. Artemus took flight as soon as he had room to spread his wings.

Garrett darted for the closest alley that he had marked on the paper, each step sending more pain through his head. There was no way he was going to be able to reach the next place before he couldn’t stand the pain any longer. He crouched down and crawled between the crates he had pushed around earlier. He removed his cloak and hung it across the opening so that it looked like an old overused tablecloth. The edge of the cloak moved as Artemus slipped inside. He climbed up Garrett’s left leg and perched comfortably on his knee.

For now, only Garrett’s head hurt, so he reached inside the pouch on Artemus’ back to extract the paper and charcoal. He marked a large circle around the place he had hidden and wrote “here” beside it.  Folding the paper up, he returned it to the pouch.

“Artemus, go to Basso. Understand?”

Artemus lowered his head in objection.

Garrett nudged the bird off his knee until he hopped down. “Artemus, go!”

The bird finally obeyed and left the crates. Garrett laid himself back, his head growing worse with every passing minute. He reached over for Aurion in the sack.

“I hope you don’t mind me using you as a pillow for now.”

Aurion chuckled. “Laying your head on a rock would be just as comfortable, but if you insist I do not mind. I may be light, but I’ll probably break your skull long before you break me. Don’t worry about causing any damage.”

Garrett said nothing as he wrapped the sack into a pillow shape and laid his head down on it. It wasn’t the most comfortable choice, but if someone was going to try and take it from him he wanted to know.

Time passed as he waited and without realizing it, he fell asleep. Footsteps outside the crates woke him and he tried to lift his head to look, but the curse had taken hold of him again. He choked back a shout from the pain of moving. The people standing by the crates took notice. This was bad.

“Are you sure we should take him with us? Why should we concern ourselves with a meddlesome thief?”

“Because _she_  asked us to find him and bring him to the chapel.”

“I don’t see why she thinks he is so important. We should just take the creature's skull and leave him. His screaming will get us noticed the second we touch him.”

“Either we take him kicking and screaming, or we leave him and face whatever punishment we are given for doing so. I very much would not like to find out what that would be. And besides, if needs be we can drug him. He will be much quieter then. Now help me!”

The other man grumbled and Garrett looked over to his cloak. It lifted, and a hooded figure reached a hand inside and grabbed his ankle.

“Brace yourself, thief.”

Garrett was dragged out from the crates. Before he could scream, a hand pressed over his mouth to keep him silent.

“Gregory, hand me something to stick in his mouth.”

Without question the man was handed a rag and he quickly shoved it in Garrett’s mouth. Reaching for Garrett’s cloak, he ripped away a long strip.

“Do not hate us for this. It will make it easier to get you to safety.”

Garrett wanted to fight back and chase the men off, but moving would only bring him more pain.

He felt defeated.

≫-⧫—➢

Basso ran as fast as his legs could carry him, Artemus flying ahead. He had been calmly drinking wine, and the next thing he knew, angry feathers screeched at him and bit at his fingers. From there, everything went batty.

He had stuffed the leather bag at his side with bandages and other medical supplies. There was no indication as to what was wrong, but Basso had grabbed supplies just in case Garrett needed it.

He rounded the corner of the alleyway marked on the map and stopped to catch his breath. “Alright you bastard, where are ya?”

Artemus flew over to two beggars who stood over something laying on the ground. Watching Artemus screeching up at the two men angrily, Basso realized what the black mass was.

“Oy! You two! Back up! Leave! I’ll take care of this.”

The two men looked at each other and backed away. One whispered to the other. “Should we let him take him? We can take the skull and tell the Queen of Beggars that a friend took care of him.” The other remained silent, turning to leave.

“We will wait till they are gone. It is most likely still in the crates.”

The other caught up to him and nodded silently.

Basso knelt down beside Garrett and untied the cloth around his mouth. “Hey, what happened?! Did you get yourself hurt? I can’t see any blood.”

Garrett ignored Basso, focusing his attention on the crates. He struggled to crawl towards them, gasping with pain. He had heard what the men had said about taking the skull once Basso took him, and he was desperate to not lose it.

“Hey! Don’t move, is there somethin’ in there that’s important? Leave it to me. I’ll get it.”

Basso crawled into the crates to find Garrett’s sack laying bundled up at the back and grabbed it. “Alright, I got it. Now, what happened? Don’t tell me you broke something!”

He looked at the thief’s arms and legs and saw nothing bent oddly. “Look, I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what is wrong! Dammit, if you are dying please say something!” He could feel his hands shaking with fear. Something was wrong with Garrett and he was afraid of losing him. His mind raced with ideas of what could be wrong that wasn’t visible. With a worried look on his face, he laid a hand on Garrett’s shoulder. “Hey, were you poisoned?”

Garrett rolled onto his side and pressed his head into the ground. Mustering as much strength as he could to not howl in pain, he managed to cry out one word. “C-Curse!”

Basso shot him a look of disbelief. “Curse? you’re cursed? How the hell did that happen?!” When Garrett failed to respond Basso rubbed a hand over his head. “Shit, we need to get you out of the street. If you can keep quiet and walk enough I can get you to the Burrick before the sun rises.” Feeling doubtful Garrett would be able to stay quiet he reached down and grabbed one of Garrett’s arms. He started trying to lift him, but Garrett instantly started screaming through his teeth from the pain.

Basso laid him back down on the ground and looked around. “Shit! You uh, ain’t gonna like this, but I gotta do something to keep you quiet. You can get me back later, okay?”

Artemus looked at Basso suspiciously as the man walked over, picking something up off the ground. Basso turned Garrett over enough to reach his head, lifting his arm into the air.

“I’m really sorry. I am!”

Garrett’s eyes widened in horror as Basso swung his arm and bashed the stone against his head hard enough to knock him out.

**  
**Artemus began screeching furiously and Basso’s stomach sunk with fear he had hit him too hard. He didn't have time to worry about that just yet. He needed to get Garrett back to the basement of the Burrick fast. He reached over for the cloth that the two men had stuffed into Garrett’s mouth, and pushed it back between Garrett’s teeth. Artemus bit at his fingers and cawed in objection, but Basso wanted to be sure that if Garrett woke while being carried he wouldn’t be heard screaming.


	7. Chapter 7

Basso dragged his unconscious friend through his basement door and settled him down on his bed. Artemus whooshed past his head to land beside Garrett. He screeched threateningly at Basso in warning to not touch him. 

  
  


“Well shit. Let me clean the gash on his head first. His blood is getting all over the bed. You want him to catch an infection?”

  
  


Artemus guarded Garrett as Basso left, to return with a large bowl of hot water and a clean rag. He pulled up a chair beside the bed. Holding the bowl in his lap he looked at the furious bird. 

  
  


“Look, I’ll only be a few minutes. Alright?” 

  
  


He moved the wet rag towards Garrett, but Artemus immediately bit at his hands and stood over Garrett with his beak open,  threatening to bite him again. 

  
  


“Shit, Garrett. You raised a damn guard dog, not a bird!”

  
  


The mention of his name startled Garrett awake and he cracked his eyes open. He quickly closed them again, groaning in pain as the light stabbed his eyes. Artemus spread his wings to block the light out from Garretts face and went back to warding off Basso.

  
  


Basso stood a few feet away, careful not to let Artemus attack him. 

  
  


“Hey, Garrett? If you are awake can you please calm your guard dog down so I can clean your injury? Y’know, before I have to forcefully lock him in a cage so I don’t keep getting bit or lose a finger.”

  
  


Garrett slowly moved his arm to wrap it around Artemus, caressing his head to calm him down. Basso quickly washed the blood from Garrett’s head. He stopped when he found the cut left behind by the attack from the feathers. 

  
  


“Hey, do I need to ask what this other cut is? I know it wasn’t from me, uh, y’know, hittin you with that rock.”

  
  


Garrett shot him an irritated glare. 

  
  


“Right, sorry. I’ll stop bothering you then. I’ll just put whatever you stole in my safe, alright?”

  
  


Basso grabbed the sack and locked it in his wall safe hidden behind the painting. He returned to his chair by the bed. Artemus had crawled back to covering Garretts head and craned his neck to glare at Basso. 

  
  


“I’m gonna lock the door and cover you up, alright? I’ll throw a few extra blankets and some clothes over you so if anyone looks over here they will think I made a mess on my bed. I’ll try not to crush or suffocate you.”

  
  


Basso began grabbing blankets and tossed them over the thief, being careful not to cover his head too much. Artemus took a few steps away to avoid getting smothered and tugged away anything that covered Garrett’s head. Even though he felt overwhelmed from the pile, Garrett was thankful for the concealment. He would be able to rest without worrying that one of Basso’s guests might see him, but wanted to do one more thing before he attempted to sleep through the pain. Grimacing with pain, he reached his hand up to his scarf to pull it over his face. Not bothering to hide his hand back under the blankets, he let it fall it right where it was and slowly closed his eyes. 

  
  


≫-⧫—➢

  
  


A day of pain passed slowly. Garrett hadn’t managed to sleep at all.  This time the pain was even worse, an agony throbbing in time with his own heart and lungs. Hearing his anguished breathing, Basso had asked him if he wanted anything to help. But answering would have only made the pain worse, so Garrett remained silent until Basso went away. 

  
  


By evening the effects of the curse had finally faded and Garrett felt well enough to move, but decided to wait. It surprised him that the pain had faded so quickly. He had been in agony for six days the last time, yet this time he had recovered after only a single day. He kept his eyes closed as Basso approached. 

  
  


“Your breathing sounds better. Are you feelin’ alright now?”

  
  


Garrett stayed still and kept his breathing steady, pretending he was still asleep. Basso sighed.

  
  


“Must not’ve slept a wink through whatever that was. I guess I can go get him a nice hot meal from upstairs.” 

  
  


Relieved, Garrett waited for Basso’s footsteps to disappear before he cracked open an eye. Sore all over, he pushed back the blankets and swung his legs over the side of the bed. It was time to move quickly and leave before the man returned. He wanted to avoid wasting time explaining what had happened to his fence, so he stood himself up on tired limbs and glided towards Basso’s safe. In seconds he had it open. Reaching for Aurion, he scrambled out the window, ignoring every aching muscle in his body. Artemus fluttered behind him as he dashed for the clock tower. 

  
  


Basso was going to be furious about him leaving suddenly without an explanation, but Garrett had more important things to plan out. He clambered his way to the rooftops and began his ascent up the clock tower. Artemus patrolled the sky, keeping an eye out for Orland just in case he decided to attack Garrett as he focused on climbing. Orland had attacked on many occasions while Artemus was still learning how to fly, but once he had mastered the skill, the crow had stopped. 

  
  


Aurion remained silent until they were back inside the clock tower. Unease filled Garrett when the skull finally spoke.

  
  


“So, Garrett, are you going to take me back to that witch now that you have me again?”

  
  


Garrett hadn’t thought of a plan yet, but an ominous feeling crept through his chest at the thought of confronting her in person. There was no guarantee that she would offer to lift the curse in exchange for bringing Aurion back. He would need to think long and hard to come up with a plan in case she tried to end his life, or worse. 

  
  


Rubbing his head, Garrett walked to his desk and sat Aurion down. He leaned his hands against it, trying to think of what tools he would need. Artemus pecked at a loaf of bread Garrett had accidentally left sitting out in the open. Garrett felt his own stomach growl with hunger. He decided he could take some time to calm down before he got to some serious thinking. He descended the stairs to his kitchen area. Grabbing a box of dried meat, he returned to the desk upstairs and took a few bites. 

  
  


Aurion broke the silence. “Garrett, I have a suggestion for you. Or should I say, a deal?”

  
  


The thief stilled and turned his attention suspiciously to the skull. “And that would be?”

  
  


“I am— er, was, before I was beheaded, a god of wishes.”

  
  


Garrett narrowed his eyes with disbelief. “Continue.”

  
  


“I’ll make you a deal. You bring me to my remains, and I will lift your curse for you.”

  
  


Garrett looked away, ignoring the skull. He had seen some strange things that others wouldn’t believe, but a god? He was going to need a lot more convincing than a mere talking skull. 

  
  


“Believe me or not, which would you prefer: taking a week or two finding the rest of me, or would you rather risk being killed or turned into a witch’s servant?”

  
  


“Have anymore proof that you actually are a ‘god?’ I won’t trust a skull that can talk just because he can.” 

  
  


“Fine, then. Ask me a simple wish. Or better yet, I can grant Artemus over there a wish. I can clearly see him craving something better tasting than that stale bread.”

  
  


Artemus craned his neck in the skull’s direction at the mention of his name. Garrett nodded and the bread was transformed into two large fish cakes. Artemus flailed his wings and leapt off the table. Garrett cracked a grin. He walked over the the food and broke it into pieces, placing them in a pile. 

  
  


“He may have been craving something better, but he won’t trust eating it right away.” 

  
  


Artemus jumped back on the table and waited for Garrett to pull his hands away. He pushed a few pieces around with his beak before picking them up and eating. Uninterested in eating any himself, Garrett returned to the desk and sat down on the stool. 

  
  


“So, I half-believe you, but can I trust you not to betray me? That will take more convincing than fish cakes. A lot more convincing.”

  
  


“The same goes to you. Thieves aren’t the most trustworthy, and I know you are the Master Thief of the City.”

  
  


Garrett cracked another grin. “I may be the Master Thief, but I’m not a master backstabber. I won’t betray you, if you won’t betray me.”

  
  


“I’ll believe that for now. Then tell me, what would I have to do to convince you to trust me?”

  
  


“Lift my curse now.” 

  
  


Aurion snickered immediately. “I don’t trust you that much. What would a deal be if one side already has what they needed? I’ll make a deal of breaking half the curse now, and the other half later.”

  
  


Wondering, Garrett raised an eyebrow. “Half?”

  
  


“You won’t be affected as badly as before. Enough that you can still move far enough to get to safety before it incapacitates you, and the number of times you reveal your greed won’t matter. That way, even if I were to betray you, you could still live your life as a thief.”

  
  


Garrett laced his fingers together, resting his chin on them. 

  
  


“And what if I get cursed again? If that witch wants you back so bad, I don’t see what is stopping her from placing a different one on me.”

  
  


“I know where to find an amulet that can protect you from that, but you will need to be careful getting it.”

  
  


“Let me guess, it’s with the witch?”

  
  


Aurion chuckled in response. “You are clever.”

  
  


Garrett paid no attention to the compliment. “So how do I get it without being caught?”

  
  


“Don’t cross the land picker’s line of sight, and avoid the witch’s past servants. I know you saw one of them. The rotting corpses that follow you?”

  
  


A foul feeling had Garrett’s stomach sinking. If the thing that attacked him before was only one of her servants, how many more did she have? 

  
  


“Anything else you would like to add before I risk my life for you?”

  
  


“Considering you are the Master Thief, she will want to make you one of her servants. If you get caught, you must kill her immediately. She won’t risk killing you, and dying is a better fate than having your will ripped away to become a puppet. Running away won’t protect you from her.”

  
  


Garrett fell silent. Facing the risk of having to end another person’s life was not something he wanted to go through. If Aurion was right about the witch wanting to enslave him, then stealing the amulet from her no longer seemed worth it. Maybe there was something else he could get instead of the amulet. 

  
  


“Is there something else I can do instead of that?” he asked, doubting there would be any good answers.

  
  


Unpleasant laughter echoed from the skull, sending a shiver through Garrett’s body. 

  
  


“I can always make you another deal.” 

  
  


Not wanting to know any details of what Aurion might want from him, Garrett decided that stealing the amulet was a better choice. He would need to be at his best if he was to remain undetected. Grabbing Aurion, Garrett locked the skull in the trunk near his bed. He sat on the bed and began removing his gear. He would need a full day to recover from the sleepless night and his aching body. 

  
  


An amused humming could be heard from inside the trunk. Annoyed, Garrett looked over. “You aren’t planning to do that all night, are you?”

  
  


“What? I thought you could use something like a little lullaby to help you sleep. If you ignore me after my suggesting another deal, that means you are going to steal the amulet. You are gonna want to sleep, aren’t you?”

  
  


“I don’t need your help.” 

  
  


Hearing nothing further from Aurion, Garrett lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. Artemus stayed upstairs to pick at the second fish cake. After stuffing himself with a few more bites he hopped over to the windowsill to look out over the City.

  
  


≫-⧫—➢

  
Heavy wingbeats echoed from the upstairs window.  Artemus’ startled cry woke Garrett. Another panicked cry sent him to his feet, racing up the stairs to see Artemus being carried off in the large claws of the witch’s vulture. He grabbed for Artemus, but his reach was too short to prevent Artemus from being stolen away. 

 


	8. Seized

Garrett stood in front of the window looking out at the sky in shock. He had no idea what to do. He thought of getting his bow and shooting an arrow into the vulture, but he risked hitting Artemus or him falling to the pavement below. He couldn’t bring himself to be the cause of Artemus’ death. 

  
  


He looked down at the windowsill and found a letter wrapped in a thin string, the initial ‘A’ written at the top right corner. Wasting no time he broke the string. Dread filled him as he ran his eyes over the words. 

  
  


_ Return what is mine and I will return what is yours. You have three nights before your raven breathes no more.  _

  
  


Garrett ripped the paper in two and threw it into his fire basket to burn later. He had planned on getting a full nights rest before going to steal the amulet, but he couldn’t leave Artemus to suffer whatever the witch planned to do to him. It was still daytime outside, but the constant and heavy cloud cover would be enough to hide him as he climbed down the clock tower. Readying his gear, Garrett unlocked the trunk and retrieved Aurion. He stuffed the skull back into his sack, deciding to ignore the warning to not return him to the witch. 

  
  


_ I have a better plan than to return anything. _

  
  


≫-⧫—➢

  
  


Aurion pitched up a loud protest as Garrett arrived at the edges of the forest. “Return me and I won’t lift your curse! I warned you she won’t let you leave alive, or free. Do you not listen? Garrett!”

  
  


“I’m not interested in returning you. Now before I go, what does the amulet look like? Where will I find it?”

  
  


“Whatever you have planned, you should leave me here. I refuse to keep a deal with someone crazy enough to risk their life to save a bird in a place where he is expected to show.”

  
  


Garrett gave a deep sigh. “You have no choice in that matter – you’re coming with me. Now describe the amulet. And don’t forget your part of the deal about lifting half the curse.”

  
  


“Fine, fine. The amulet will be in a small box by her bed. It should be sitting on a table. Look for the amulet containing a purple stone wrapped in silver wire and sticks. Ignore everything else. You won’t find use in any of it.”

  
  


Making a mental image of what he would be looking for, Garrett pulled his scarf over his nose and took a few steps into the forest. The dim light faded to darkness as he made his way beneath the thick canopy between the dark trees. The markings Garrett had left on his previous visit remained intact, but he was wary of following the same trail, and instead chose a new path. If Aurion had spoken the truth about the witch having servants then he needed to avoid being seen before he arrived at the witch’s den. 

  
  


Step by step, Garrett approached the entrance of the witch’s home. He hid in the gap between two large roots as he studied the area for any hiding figures. It was too dark even for him. Not wanting to risk using the primal to spot anything, he grabbed a water arrow from his quiver and nocked it to his bowstring. He aimed for a lit torch by the entrance. The torch went out with a hiss. Garrett waited. 

  
  


A horned figure fell from above and landed with a thump as heavy hooves disturbed the dirt. The servant’s shape was taller and less skeletal than the one he had seen before, a fanged animal’s skull serving for a head. The empty eye sockets turned toward the newly extinguished torch, twisting left and right to search for the cause. The creature bellowed an alert and began patrolling the roots with determination. Garrett took his chance to slip by as soon as its back was turned. 

  
  


The door barely made a sound behind him as he closed it and stepped down the stairs. A hushed voice greeted him as he closed the distance to the witch’s main room. He barely caught the conversation.

  
  


“My darling Baachus, you did such a good job bringing the raven back alive. I have a treat for you.” 

  
  


Garrett heard the sound of paper rustling and glanced around the edge of the wall by the stairway. The witch and her vulture had their backs turned toward him. Artemus sat locked in a cage nearby, close enough for him to sneak silently over and open it without being seen. He crouched low and stepped out from the corner. 

  
  


Artemus rustled in the cage at the sight of the familiar dark figure, and Garrett held up a finger over his mask to silence him. The lock on the cage was a simple latch that made no sound as he opened it. Artemus instantly stepped out onto his hand as Garrett stepped away from the witch and her vulture. Just one thing remained to retrieve.

  
  


Aurion had mentioned that the box lay on a table near the witch’s bed, and there it was. Remembering the warning of an unfamiliar trap being placed on it, Garrett prepared himself for anything. Gently lifting up the lid Garrett noticed a thin black string that poked out from the box. It moved closer and closer to his hand as it grew longer and longer, until a bone emerged. A human finger, tangled at the center of a net of strings. Garrett grabbed a stick from beside the box and nudged the strange thing away from him.  _ Is this the trap? _

  
  


Too focused on finding the amulet, Garrett failed to notice as the bone pulled itself towards him again. As it slipped back inside the box Garrett tried again to push it away with the stick, but it grabbed hold of his left pinky finger. He pulled at the strands, but that only strengthened the bone’s hold on him. Desperation seized him as the strings began to slice through his finger. He struggled to avoid crying out from the pain as he felt it cut through the bone. Artemus tried to bite at the threads, but Garrett pushed him away quickly as the strings twitched toward his beak. Unable to hold back from making a sound and giving himself away, Garrett let out a deep groan.

  
  


The vulture screeched and crashed into Artemus, pinning him to the ground. The witch approached Garrett, an impressed grin on her face. 

  
  


“My, what skill. Already in my home, gotten your bird, and prepared to steal more from me. And all without being noticed.” 

  
  


Garrett backed away toward the stairs, letting out another cry as the strings cut through the rest of his finger. It fell into his other hand. Horrified, he gripped it. The strings unfurled from his severed finger and he dropped it, fearing it would try to remove another. 

  
  


The awful tone of the witch’s laugh grated in his ears. “Not know what you grabbed when you grabbed my finger snatcher? It’s a shame: a thief needs his hands. But at least you only lost a finger.” She stepped closer to him. “Now, what shall we do, thief? Are you worth my time, or should I string your remains from a tree and let the animals have you?”

  
  


Garrett squeezed at the stump left behind from his missing pinky to stop the flow of blood, wincing as pain throbbed through his hand. “You wouldn’t want to waste your time on a simple thief.” He rested a foot on the bottom step of the stairs, not daring to break eye contact with the woman. “How about I take the third option and leave?” 

  
  


“And leave your precious raven? How thoughtless.” She walked over to Artemus and grasped by his neck and feet, lifting him up.

  
  


“Now, let’s have a proper greeting, shall we? I know that skull must have told you something or two about me. Has it at least mentioned that my name is Adaryn?” 

  
  


Garrett kept his distance. “It told all I cared to know,  _ Adaryn _ .” 

  
  


“Is that so? Then I suppose you won’t be interested in any tales of how I came by what you stole? Or is struggling to answer the riddles from the woman you call the Queen of Beggars more fun for you?”

  
  


Garrett narrowed his eyes, curious. “So you aren’t just a lonely hag in the woods after all.”

  
  


“Me? Being called lonely from the solitary phantom that haunts the clock tower? My dear thief, I am not alone and neither are you. I have my servants and Baachus as company. You have your dearest Artemus.” She shifted her hold on the bird and began stroking the feathers along his back. He wriggled in her arms, clacking in protest. 

  
  


Garrett clenched a fist. “So what is this tale you have for me?” 

  
  


Adaryn grinned, seeing that she had piqued his interest. “I’ll wait to tell you.” 

  
  


Garrett needed to run, but without Artemus he didn’t know what to do. There was only one option left: to use one of his flash bombs and grab the bird in the confusion. Swiftly he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the first bomb. He threw it to the ground where it released a burst of light that made the witch shout and release Artemus. Garrett caught Artemus as he slipped from her grip and dashed for the door. Slamming it behind him he sprinted for the nearest gap between the roots, refusing to let go of the squawking raven. 

  
  


The closer he got to the roots the more it seemed they might escape, but heavy hoof beats and a gut wrenching scream in front of him stopped Garrett dead in his tracks. Adaryn’s servant appeared above one of the large roots. It kicked off with its legs, nearly hitting Garrett as he stumbled back. He managed to avoid falling, but the brute of a creature swung at him with a large hand, hitting him in the chest. Garrett flew a few feet into the air, letting go of Artemus as he landed flat on his back. The wind was knocked from his lungs and he gasped for air, looking helplessly around him as he tried to focus his dazed vision. 

  
  


Two feet appeared next to his head and a light lifted him up to his knees. The beast’s large hand grabbed his shoulder and held him still as the witch brought her hand to his head. Afraid, Garrett opened his eyes and tried to pull his shoulder free from the servant’s grip before she could touch him, but the beast only screamed into his ear. His freedom was only seconds from being ripped away and there was no way he could get away in time. It was hopeless. 

  
  


Artemus swooped toward Adaryn, just in time to stall her, scratching at her face and pulling at her hair with his beak. While she struggled with Artemus, Garrett took his chance and twisted in the beast’s grip. Dislocated bones popped loudly and the bruising grip released. Garrett leapt to his feet. He swung his leg into the servant’s back, sending it tumbling to the ground, where the impact knocked the skull free. 

  
  


“Artemus! Let’s go!” he shouted at the bird as he backed away, an arrow ready in his bow. 

  
  


Adaryn screamed with anger. She grabbed one of Artemus’ wings, shooting Garrett a deadly glare as she waved her hand in his direction. Light gripped him by the neck and lifted him into the air. The force tightened, choking the air from him. His vision started to flicker. His instincts screaming at him to defend himself and unable to find an alternative, Garrett lifted his bow and loosed the arrow at the witch. 

  
  


Adaryn jumped backwards, swinging her hands out in front of her to block the arrow. Artemus screeched once in agony as the arrow peirced his side. The witch cackled as she threw the bird to the ground and advanced on Garrett, who stood frozen with dismay and overwhelming guilt. The bird he had saved and raised lay dead on the ground, shot by his own arrow. 

  
  


Garrett backed away from Adaryn as she approached him and tripped over the skull of the fallen servant. There was no time to loose another arrow as the witch came closer and closer. Garrett grabbed the skull and stabbed one of the horns into her chest. He crawled away as Adaryn crumpled to the ground with an anguished scream. She struggled to pull the horn out, but bled out before she could remove it. 

 


	9. Second Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a while! I've been distracted quite a bit.

Garrett knelt down beside Artemus, shaking. He reached down and picked up the barely breathing bird. Light croaks escaped Artemus’s throat as he was cradled in his thief’s arms. Garrett choked back the knot in his throat as the bird’s black eyes blinked once and closed shut as the life left his body.

  
  


Aurion gave Garrett a few minutes to let his grief set in before taking the moment as an opportunity. “Garrett, let’s make another deal.”

  
  


The thief folded Artemus’ extended wings back against his side. It wasn’t hard to guess what the skull offered him. “What do you want from me?”

  
  


“Let me use your body to find my remains. If you agree, I will make sure you – and your Artemus – do not die while I am using you.”

  
  


Garrett clenched his eyes and lowered his head, the dread in his chest building. Letting another control his actions was something he was never willing to allow, but his attachment to the lifeless bird in his arms, and the guilt of having shot the arrow protruding from Artmus’ chest obscured his judgement. He relaxed himself and took a deep breath. 

  
  


“Bring him back before you start using my body. I want to see with my own eyes – him moving and breathing again.” 

  
  


“I understand.”

  
  


Garrett slowly nodded and wrapped his thin fingers around the arrow. He quickly pulled it out from Artemus’ stomach. He cradled the still form in one arm, unwrapping the skull from the sack at his side with the other. Garrett set the skull on the ground, then gently laid Artemus’ body in front of Aurion. He sat back, waiting.

  
  


“Once the bird is alive, there is no going back on our deal. Once I have found my body, yours will be returned to you.” 

  
  


The empty eye sockets on the skull lit up with a brilliant orange light., The flash had Garrett shielding his eyes with his arms. Even before the temporary blindness faded, he heard, the familiar sounds of shuffling feathers and clacks. 

  
  


“Garrett, a few other things I will mention. You will be able to hear me, but you won’t be able to say anything. I cannot hear your thoughts, and I will not feel your pain if you are hurt, though you will feel everything.” A vile laugh erupted from the skull. “When this is over, remember that you agreed to this without asking for any other details. I promised to keep you and your bird alive while I have your body, but I make no guarantees for whatever happens to you after the deal is complete.”

  
  


Garrett’s heart sank as he realised his mistake. Before he could move, the air around him shifted and distorted as another bright orange flash from the skull blinded him. 

  
  


His eyes opened wide and his head moved of its own accord. Abrupt laughter escaped his throat, not of his own doing, but from Aurion. 

  
  


“I-I can move on my own! Years, decades, centuries! No more being used, no more misery being trapped in the same spot, unable to sleep, blink, move. All over! Garrett, I would thank you, but I doubt you would be grate—” 

  
  


Aurion paused, closing Garrett’s left eye and waving his left hand in front of his face. “What is this? I thought you blind in this eye, but it seems you are not.”

  
  


Aurion quickly switched his attention to Artemus, who cawed with confusion. Aurion held a hand out to the raven, but Artemus only moved further away. 

  
  


“You are sticking with me, even if I am not your Garrett. If you die the deal will be broken, and all of us will face the consequence.”

  
  


Aurion grabbed for the bird, but Artemus moved too far out of his reach. Realizing he needed to sit up and stand, Aurion rolled Garrett’s body onto his side and raised up on an elbow. “Let’s see if I can figure out how land feet walk on two legs.”

  
  


He pushed Garrett’s body onto his hands and knees. Setting a foot flat on the ground, he struggled to stand. He wobbled for a moment before tumbling back to the ground. 

  
  


“It’s been too long since I last moved. I don’t think that even with my own body I would be able to remember easily.” 

  
  


Aurion looked over to the large roots just a few feet away. He crawled Garrett’s body over to the closest and pulled himself up, trying to keep his balance until he stood fully erect, wobbling only slightly. Slowly, he pulled his hand away from the rough wood, testing the motions he would need to take a step on two legs. 

  
  


“This shouldn’t be too hard then.” 

  
  


Aurion let go of the root and took a step, then another, and a few more, barely managing to avoid falling over. Feeling as though he had the hang of it, he peered down at the bloody stump where Garrett’s finger had been. The bleeding had stopped, but the threat of infection still worried him. He looked around the witch’s home. She must have kept medical supplies for herself inside somewhere.

  
  


Baachus the vulture backed away from Aurion as he began shuffling through the drawers, trunks, cabinets – anywhere the witch may have kept them. Finally, he found a roll of bandages, needles and string at the back of the last cabinet. 

  
  


“That may be useful for something later, but since this is just a finger and I won’t feel it, I have a better idea.” 

  
  


Aurion grabbed logs and threw them into the fireplace near where the vulture hid. It ducked its head with fear, watching him as he started a fire and readied a kettle of water to boil. Garrett would not enjoy what Aurion planned to do, but he would be forced to see and feel everything Aurion did with his body. 

  
  


Aurion pulled back Garrett’s left sleeve and wiped away what blood he could. The kettle whistled. Aurion grabbed it, then held out Garrett’s hand, pouring boiling water over the wound. He took no notice of the tears streaming from Garrett’s eyes as he finished cleaning the stump. He wrapped bandages around it to prevent it from being exposed to further infection. 

  
  


“Do you wish to come with me, land picker?” Aurion held a welcoming hand out to the vulture. “Your Adaryn is dead. You can stay trapped here, or you can come with me and be free.” 

  
  


Baachus shuffled sideways, wary of any fast movements from Aurion. Adaryn hadn’t been the best caretaker: hardly feeding the bird, and only letting him leave when she needed him to fetch something. The vulture stepped onto Garrett’s hand, ducking its head as Aurion lifted him. 

  
  


“Good boy.”

  
  


Aurion stroked a hand through the vulture’s thick, red feathers. Artemus chattered, upset at seeing the vulture in his place. 

  
  


“I’m will gather a few things from this place, and then leave. Selling Adaryn’s treasures will be of more use than letting them got to waste.” 

  
  


Avoiding the other finger snatchers Adaryn had hidden inside her trunks, Aurion collected what trinkets he could find. He stopped beside the witch’s fallen servant. 

  
  


“I’ll have use for you. Your captor is dead, and I know you are still trapped. Help me, and I’ll allow you to rest once and for all.” 

  
  


Aurion grabbed the servant’s skull and set it back into place. The servant twitched several times, before standing itself up. It stood obediently, waiting to be given an order.

  
  


“Very good. It’s time for us to go. And don’t let yourself be seen by the people of the City. We shall be there for a good while.”

 


	10. Forgotten Needs

The Crippled Burrick was quiet, only a few drunk men upstairs chatting. It was a slow night. Basso hadn’t seen Garrett in over a week, since finding him struggling with whatever had cursed him. 

  
  


“Fuckin’ bastard, leaves without telling me anything. Scarin’ me half to death. If he hasn’t gotten himself killed, I’ll kill ‘im the next time he sets foot in here.” He gulped down a shot of whiskey before setting the bottle down to read the newspaper. The door creaked open and he looked up. A figure dressed in a black cloak stood a few feet away.

  
  


Basso cocked an eyebrow. “And, uh, who’m might you be? Some new thief lookin’ for a fence?”

  
  


The hood moved left and right nervously. “I … I need … your help.” 

  
  


Basso tilted his head, just barely recognizing the soft voice. “Wait, that … Garrett? Is that you?” 

  
  


“No! Not ...This is Garrett, but I am not.” A caw echoed from inside the robes. The figure pulled Artemus out from a sleeve, cradling the tied-up bird in one arm.

  
  


Basso shot out of his chair in disbelief. “Artemus? What the hell are you doing tying him up! Garrett, this better not be some sick jo—” 

  
  


“QUIET! I need your help. Something’s wrong.”

  
  


“Yeah, you tying up your bird like that, there is definitely something wrong here. What’s the fuckin’ problem?” Basso growled.

  
  


He pushed the hood back and Basso gasped at the exhaustion in Garrett’s face. “Shit! Garrett, you look worse than death! What the hell is going on?” 

  
  


“Stop calling me Garrett! I already told you I am not him!” Aurion snarled. 

  
  


“Then who the fuck are you if you aren’t Garrett?!” Basso shouted back. He wanted to help Garrett, but there was something threatening about him, or whoever it was.

  
  


“I—” The words were abruptly cut off as Aurion seemed to think better of it and instead rummaged in the sack hooked through his belt. Basso frowned, noticing that instead of Garrett’s customary outfit, under the cloak Aurion instead wore a simple shirt and pants, the lacings left untied.

  
  


“This is what I am.” Aurion held the skull up in front of Garrett’s face. The skull’s eyes pulsed with a faint orange glow as each word left Garrett’s mouth.

  
  


“Is that …?” Basso tilted his head. “Is that the thing you … er, I mean … Garrett stole not too long ago for a client? What’s he doing with it back in his hands?” 

  
  


“Stealing me got him cursed – he needed to get me back to lift it. That did not work, but in exchange for my helping him he agreed to let me borrow his body.”

  
  


Basso lifted a hand to his face in disbelief. “And the reason you are here would be … what exactly? What did you do that made you have to come to me?”

  
  


“I didn’t know who else to come to.” Aurion lowered his head. “There is something wrong with his body, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

  
  


“I think I have a pretty good idea what the fuck it is. But first, tell me: what have you been doing to take care of him?”

  
  


“All the essentials. Eating, drinking, keeping him clean. Is there something I am forgetting?” 

  
  


“Sleep?”

  
  


“Sleep?” Aurion looked down at the cobblestones, confused. “How often do land feet need sleep?” 

  
  


“You … How long have you had his body? Don’t you dare say a—” 

  
  


“A week at least.” 

  
  


“Fuckin’ hell. And you haven’t let him sleep even once since then?”

  
  


“How often do you bastard creatures need sleep?!” Aurion shouted at Basso.

  
  


“How about every fuckin’ night?!’ Basso shouted back. “You—” He stopped himself, covering his face with his hands, ashamed. “I should have never left him even for a second that day I had to drag him here. If I’d known he would’ve gotten himself stuck in a shitty situation like this …” Basso pulled his hands away to look closely at Garrett, or whatever was controlling him. There was something awful about the monotonous expression the thing kept as it moved Garrett’s body around like a puppet. 

  
  


“You still haven’t mentioned your name. Mine is Basso, as I am sure you obviously already know.” 

  
  


“Aurion. Now, before I leave, is there anything else I should watch out for?”

  
  


Basso shot him an alarmed look. “Don’t think I am gonna let you go anywhere! I can’t trust you to actually let him sleep enough, and by the looks of it he will need a few days to recover.”

  
  


Still keeping the monotonous expression, Aurion turned towards the door. “I don’t have time to waste. The sooner I retrieve my own body, the sooner Garrett will be free. I will let him sleep – do not worry about that.”

  
  


Eager to keep him there, Basso grabbed the thinner than usual arm and pulled Garrett away from the door. “I ain’t tellin’ you twice! Now, lie down. Or I will tie you up until you have no other choice!” 

  
  


Aurion stepped back, alarm finally breaking through the impassive expression. Basso completely blocked the exit with his large body, leaving Aurion growling in defeat. 

  
  


“If you insist, then. Do not touch my head! Take it as a threat! Something bad will happen if you intervene in our deal.” 

  
  


“Alright then, not if yo— No! Wait!” 

  
  


Basso barely caught Garrett’s body as he collapsed, no longer under the skull’s control. Artemus was not so lucky as to be caught, but managed to roll safely off the cloak to the ground. 

  
  


“Shit, you couldn’t have laid down first?” 

  
  


Basso dragged the limp body over to the bed, hoisting Garrett onto the mattress and throwing covers over him once again to distort his shape. It wasn’t until he tried to cover Garrett’s left hand that he discovered the missing finger. 

  
  


“What the hell happened there?” he exclaimed loudly. “Can you even hear me you … you damned skull?”

  
  


“Yes, and that was not my fault!” The skull’s eyes lit up once again. 

  
  


“Yeah? Then tell me what the fuck happened!” 

  
  


Artemus’s screeching from the ground grabbed Basso’s attention until he finally untied the bird. Artemus flew to Garrett, guarding him while he chattered endlessly at the skull.

  
  


Aurion ignored the bird’s angry fit. “He reached his hand inside a trapped box and got it cut off.”

  
  


“What the hell kind of trap was that?”

  
  


“The kind the witch borrowed from the Collector.”

  
  


“Collector? What the hell?” 

  
  


“The being witches sometimes make trades with in order to keep their items safe from being stolen. In exchange for the fingers that the Collector’s finger snatchers cut from thieves, they get to keep using the Collector’s toys. Do you want me to keep you up all night telling you stories, Basso? You keep asking questions, I might start talking and never stop.” He let out a deep chuckle.

  
  


“I don’t mind, so long as you eventually do let me sleep, and don’t wake Garrett up. I want to know more about what Garrett has gotten himself into, and what the hell you are talking about.”

  
  


“He won’t wake up until I take his body back. Can’t have him waking up and walking off without me now can i?” 

  
  


Basso choked back the knot in his throat and rubbed his head.  _ Damnit, Garrett! What have you gotten yourself trapped in?  _

  
  


“Alright. Since he won’t be waking up, I’ll be checking his hand for an infection. Meanwhile, you tell me anything you are interested in telling me. And keep it interestin’ please.”

  
  


“If you insist, Basso.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Major thanks to Haethel for editing! I have learned a whole lot from her and if you haven't checked out her stuff, i highly suggest you do!


End file.
